Football returns in January after a brief break in some countries. In others, the action has not stopped at all over the Christmas period.
January brings the FA Cup third round in England, plus the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals. Meanwhile, the Supercopa de España and Supercoppa Italiana both take place out in Saudi Arabia this month and there is also Champions League football towards the end of January in a change of format for the 2024/25 season.
Throughout the month, the January transfer window will also allow teams to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season in Europe.
For some famous footballers past and present, there will be a birthday too. Here, a look at some of the players from the men's game who were born in January...
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy started his career in non-league football before working his way up and becoming a key player for Leicester City, helping the Foxes win the Premier League in 2015/16 and an FA Cup five seasons later.
Born in Sheffield on January 11th, 1987, Vardy scored seven goals in 26 caps for England and is a Leicester legend, having arrived at the club in 2012 and played an enormous role in their success since then.
Dimitar Berbatov
An elegant centre-forward who played for Manchester United, Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco and Fulham, Dimitar Berbatov scored 48 goals in 78 appearances for Bulgaria.
Born in the town of Blagoevgrad on January 30th, 1981, Berbatov was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year seven times. He helped United to two Premier League titles and finished his career with over 300 goals for club and country.
Peter Crouch
Fun fact: Peter Crouch and Dimitar Berbatov, both former Tottenham Hotspur strikers, were born on the same day.
Crouch was born in Macclesfield on January 30th, 1981 and also played for the likes of QPR, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Stoke City, Southampton and Liverpool. He won 42 caps for England, scoring an impressive 22 goals.
Robinho
Robinho was born in São Vicente, southern São Paulo on January 25th, 2004, and began his career at Santos.
Capped 100 times by Brazil, Robinho also played for Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan in a successful career, but began a nine-year prison sentence for rape in 2024.
David Silva
One of the most talented midfielders in a special generation of Spanish players, David Silva helped La Roja win back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012 and the 2010 World Cup.
Born in Gran Canaria on January 8th, 1986, Silva spent a decade at Manchester City after starting his career at Valencia and retired in 2023 at the age of 37 after a serious injury curtailed a spell back in Spain with Real Sociedad.
Declan Rice
One of the best midfielders of his generation, Declan Rice has been an England international since 2019 after switching international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland.
Born in London on January 14th, 1999, Rice started his career at West Ham and went on to make over 250 appearances for the Irons. After helping the Hammers win the UEFA Conference League in 2023, the midfielder left to join Arsenal in a deal initially worth a club-record £100 million.
Cuauhtémoc Blanco
One of Mexico's greatest-ever players, Cuauhtémoc Blanco won over 100 caps for El Tri, featured in three World Cups and even had his own signature move: La Cuautemiña (sometimes called the "Blanco bounce" in English).
A forward or attacking midfielder who is best remembered at club level for his long career at América, Blanco was born in Mexico City on January 17th, 1973. He helped Mexico win the Confederations Cup in 1999 and after his retirement from football, became a prominent poltician in his homeland.
Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben was born in the Dutch town of Bedum on January 23rd, 1984. One of the finest wingers of his generation, he played for some of Europe's biggest clubs and won 96 caps for the Netherlands, scoring 37 goals.
After spells at Groningen, PSV, Chelsea and Real Madrid, Robben spent a decade at Bayern Munich and won it all with the Bavarians, including a treble in 2012/13. He also helped the Dutch to the World Cup final in 2010, but is remembered for failing to score one-on-one with Iker Casillas with the scores tied at 0-0.
Iván Zamorano
One of Chile's greatest-ever players, Ivan Zamorano formed a deadly partnership with Marcelo Salas at international level and the striker had memorable spells at both Inter and Real Madrid.
Born in Santiago on January 25th, 1967, Zamorano scored 34 goals in 69 appearances for Chile. He won La Liga and the Copa del Rey with Madrid, a UEFA Cup with Inter and an Olympic bronze medal with Chile in 2000.
Gennaro Gattuso
A tenacious defensive midfielder for AC Milan and Italy, Gennaro Gattuso formed a formidable partnership with Andrea Pirlo for club and country.
Gattuso, born in Calabria in southern Italy on January 9th, 1978, was a key player as Italy won the 2006 World Cup and also featured in two Champions League triumphs for Milan. After retirement, he became a coach, taking charge of Milan, Napoli, Valencia and Marseille, among others.
Eden Hazard
One of the Premier League's finest attackers, Eden Hazard was a huge favourite at Chelsea in a seven-year spell with the Blues between 2012 and 2019.
Hazard also won over 100 caps for Belgium in a superb career, but was less successful in an injury-interrupted four years at Real Madrid. Born on January 7th, 1991, the former Lille winger retired in 2023 at the age of just 32.
Pep Guardiola
A cerebral defensive midfielder who came through Barcelona's La Masia youth academy, Pep Guardiola is one of the Catalan club's best-ever players.
Capped 47 times by Spain, he was restricted by injuries but still enjoyed huge success at Barça, winning six La Liga titles and starting as the Blaugrana claimed a first-ever European Cup in 1992. Born on January 18th, 1971 in the town of Santpedor, Guardiola went on to become one of the most successful and influential coaches in football history.
Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez was born in the northwestern Uruguayan town of Salto on January 24th, 1987 and went on to become one of the world's best centre-forwards.
A Copa América winner and World Cup semi-finalist with Uruguay, Suárez is also the nation's all-time top scorer, with 69 goals. Suárez starred at Barcelona alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, winning a treble with the Catalan club and hitting 198 goals in total for the Blaugrana. In a career also marked by several controversial incidents, the striker had successful stints at a number of other clubs, including Ajax, Liverpool and Atlético Madrid.
Eusébio
Born in Portuguese Mozambique on January 25th, 1942, Eusébio went on to become a legend for Benfica and also the Portuguese national team.
One of the greatest forwards of his generation, Eusébio helped Benfica to 11 Portuguese titles and to a European Cup in 1962. A Ballon d'Or winner in 1965, he was also a World Cup semi-finalist with Portugal in 1966. Nicknamed the "Black Panther", Eusébio also passed away in the first month of the year – on January 5th, 2014.
Xavi
Xavi was at the heart of the great Barcelona and Spain sides between 2008 and 2012, embodying a style of play which changed football and brought huge success for club and country.
The midfielder helped Spain to two European Championship titles and a World Cup win in a golden era, while racking up a series of major trophies at Barça, including two treble triumphs. Born on January 25th, 1980 in Terrassa in the Barcelona province, Xavi later had a spell as coach at the Catalan club, winning LaLiga in 2022/23.
Gianluigi Buffon
A World Cup winner with Italy and a legend in a long career with Juventus and Parma, Gianluigi Buffon also had a brief spell at Paris Saint-Germain.
Capped 176 times by the Azzurri in an international career spanning over two decades, Buffon finally retired in 2023 at the age of 45. One of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he was born in the town of Carrara in Tuscany on January 28th, 1978.
Romário
One of the greatest centre-forwards of all time, Romário starred as Brazil won the World Cup in 1994 and was also a two-time Copa América winner with his national team.
The former PSV, Barcelona, Flamengo and Vasco da Gama forward scored over 700 career goals, although he claims to have netted over 1,000. Born on January 29th, 1966, in Rio de Janeiro, Romário played into his early 40s.
